That 2018 Indian ban on a BBC documentary got reversed last week - what changed?

I remember when they blocked that documentary about the 2002 Gujarat riots back in 2018 citing law and order concerns, but now the Delhi High Court overturned it - was it new evidence coming out, or just political pressure shifting, and does anyone think this opens the door for more previously banned content to come back?

2 comments

2 Comments

taylor_flores19d agoMost Upvoted

Oh wow, because nothing says "free press" like waiting six years to admit a ban was maybe kinda dumb... classic move. The court basically said "yeah we know you cited law and order but c'mon, this is a documentary, not a riot manual" which is honestly refreshing. I guess the pressure just shifted enough that someone finally decided transparency was less scary than looking like they were hiding something. But let's not kid ourselves, bans like that only get reversed when the political climate changes enough that the old controversy becomes a new talking point... and yeah, this probably sets a precedent for other banned stuff to creep back out, but only if it fits whatever the current narrative is. Wouldn't hold my breath though, history has a funny way of getting "re-evaluated" only when it's convenient.

hugo23619d ago

Glad to see the courts stepped in, that ban always felt like an overreach to avoid tough conversations. Hope this means we get more transparency around controversial historical stuff going forward.